READING AND WATCHING
‘The quickest way round
is on the bitumen’
The history of the Oran Park
circuit.
By Neville Beyer
ISBN: 9 780646 990668
Paperback 280 pages
Published by Greenfields Management
Price: $30.00
Available from: http://www.oranparkracing.com.au
2020 marks ten years since the closure of
Oran Park, the Sydney circuit that was the
home of motor racing in New South
Wales for almost half a century. The author is
Neville Beyer, who was a flag marshal for the
first meeting and went on to become circuit
coordinator and chief official until the closure of
the track. This comprehensive book, while heavily
slanted towards the four-wheeled activity at the
track, nevertheless covers the history of the
establishment of the circuit on the western
Sydney property that had housed car club
gymkhanas since 1956. Partially financed by 5
Pound Loan Certificates issued by the Singer Car
Club, it opened with a restricted meeting for cars
using a circuit with a lap of 1,766 yards (1.614
km) on Sunday 18th February 1962. At that stage
the circuit was simply bitumen sprayed thinly over
a dirt surface, prompting track manager Jack Allen
to sternly advise competitors to keep to the
surfaced area to avoid dragging gravel and grass
onto the racing surface. His quote is the title of
the book. The first motorcycle meeting took place
one year later on the same track, which was used
only once more before a modified layout,
measuring 1.96km, came into being and
remained for many years. That opening meeting
attracted no less a figure than World Champion
Jim Redman, and from that day on, Oran Park was
‘the place to race’ hosting up to half a dozen
motorcycle meetings per year. The motorcycle
section of the book occupies just ten pages, but
fortunately acknowledges the contribution of
people like Les Johnson, Bruce Rands, Eric
McPherson and Arthur and Jan Blizzard. All profits
from the sale of the book are to be donated to
motor sport charities.Ultimate Ducati Desmo Manual
Belt-driven camshaft L-twins
1979-2017
By Eduardo Cabrera Choclan
ISBN: 978-1-845848-78-1
Paperback: 280 pages
Published by Veloce 2019
Contact: [email protected] http://www.veloce.co.uk
Price: £65 UK
Contact Renniks Publications (02) 96957055
http://www.renniks.com for date of Australian availability
The Ducati home mechanic should find this
comprehensive book very useful in the workshop.
It is written from a D-Y-I mechanic’s point of view,
with step-by-step instructions on all aspects of
these popular motorcycles. Author Cabrera is a
well known member of the Spanish Ducati
community, going under the name of the Baron
Rojo (Red Baron). Signor Baron runs his own
specialist Ducati workshop, so he knows how to
operate the tools as well as communicate the
process. Speaking of tools, he even tells how to
create special tools at home without spending
vast amounts of money on factory items. The
book covers tasks from the highly complex to the
routine – there’s even a difficulty rating scale for
most operations – and is easy to read with many
drawings and photographs.
The BMW Motorcycle Story
Second Edition
By Ian Falloon.
ISBN: 978-0-787113-58-9
Hardback 304 pages
Published by Veloce 2019
Price: £40 UK
Contact Renniks Publications (02) 96957055
http://www.renniks.com for date of Australian availability
Updating the previous edition to include the
2019 model year, Ian’s Falloon’s book remains the
definitive tome of the marque. BMW has had its
ups and downs since producing its first motorcycle
in 1923, and has come close to the edge on more
than one occasion, but is today one of the most
innovative of the European manufactures. This
book covers those tribulations, as well as
examining the major models on an individual
basis. There are interesting profiles on many of
the pioneering BMW engineers, and the models
they created. Naturally there is plenty of coverage
of BMW’s competition successes, including those
in America, although surprisingly little on the
Australian racing scene. The photography is first
class, as you would expect in such a high quality
book that will appeal to BMW owners and casual
enthusiasts alike.
Alias Albert Rathbone
Sheffield to Sydney. A memoir.
By Phil Geary
Self Published
ISBN: 978-1-68418-949-6
Paperback 94 pages
Price in Australia $25, NZ $30 including postage
To order: email: [email protected].
Phone 0444 540244
Author Phil Geary created his alter ego Albert
Rathbone more than 20 years ago, and this little
book describes his (their) escape from the grotty
factories of Sheffield (UK) in the sixties. He calls
the decision to leave it all behind and head for
Australia as “life-changing”. Few could blame him.
Phil wrote, illustrated, designed, typeset, proof-
read and distributed the book, which covers not
just life in Britain and the series of motorcycles he
owned, but the various escapades that led to his
decision to marry and change hemispheres in- First Sydney and later Tasmania became
home to Phil, wife Chris and their family, along
with a series of motorcycles – initially British and
later, perhaps inevitably, Japanese. A rather
touching account of the era of the ‘Ten Quid Pom’
that has gone forever.
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